TULSA, Okla. — A new Federal Prison Re-Entry program, named “Fresh Start,” will assist and provide individuals with felony convictions with resources for jobs, housing, and counseling services, announced U.S. Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The re-entry program is another component of U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder’s “Smart on Crime” initiative.

Participating agencies joining the U.S. Attorney's Office are: the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office; the United States Probation Office; and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

“The Department of Justice’s Anti-Violence Strategy, which is led by the U.S. Attorneys, prioritizes reentry as one of its three principal components, along with prevention and enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We are working collaboratively with federal and state correctional agencies in assisting individuals with felony convictions with re-entry into the community.”

Approximately 700,000 people are released from federal and state prisons every year. It is estimated that two-thirds of those released will likely be rearrested within three years of release.

Initial participants in the “Fresh Start” program will be GPS-monitored individuals from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and those individuals who are on a parolee status. Later, the State’s participation in the federally-sponsored program will expand to include those individuals who are on probation.

Individuals will participate in an informational panel session which includes a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, and a Success Speaker, an individual with a criminal history who has turned his/her life around. The “Fresh Start” program is designed not only to provide individuals with felony convictions with resources, but also to provide them with motivation for success within the community.